Surveyor&#39;s leveling-rod attachment.



No. 637,5m. Patented uw. 2|, lass-. w. s. cLAssoN.

SURVEYORS LEVELING BUD ATTACHMENT. I

v (Application am om 24, 189s.)

4R0 *IlodolJ UNiTnn STATES PATENT FFIC.

WALTER G. CLASSON, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD G. SOLTMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SU RVEYORS LEVELING-'ROD ATTACHNI ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,501, dated November 21, 1899. Application filed October 214, 1898. kSerial No. 694,363. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER G. CLAssoN, of Fitchburg, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Surveyors Leveling-Rod Attachments, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention is an improvement in surveyors instruments, being particularly intended for use in leveling, and has for its main object the provision of an auxiliary device capable of being attached to a usual leveling-rod, (or any other rod, for that matter,) said device enabling the surveyor to ascertain automatically the various measurements or distances above and below the datum-line.

My invention may be used also in the same manner as the usual leveling-rod is used.

The various details of construction 'and manner of using my improvement will be pointed out in the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, illustrative of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the invention will be more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention attached in operative position to a usual surveyors leveling-rod. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the device in front elevation, indicating by dotted lines dierent positions assumed in use. Fig. 3 shows the same inside elevation. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectivelya central vertical section and a rear elevation of the slide-clamp.

Ihave herein shown my improvement as attached to a usual levelingrod A, shown as comprising a lower section a and upper section a', the latter preferably carrying a usual target a2, the rod being graduated, as usual, in tenths and hundredths.

As is well known, the various measurements in leveling are found customarily by ascertaining the relation of the various readings of the rod to an original point of reference on the rod, determined by the position and height of the transit or other instrument used, the measurements being the difference between the sightings and this point, either above or below, as the case may be; but inasmuch as this involves a considerable process of adding and subtracting and as the various amounts are usually fractional mistakes are liable to occur. My invention, however, avoids the possibility of any mistake, as the reading itself gives the correct measurement and preferably gives it in inches.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that I provide a ruler or auxiliary rod B, having at its upper end a target b, preferably removably secured thereto by suitable means,

as a set-screw b', said ruler being carried in a slide or clamp b2, shown as split at b3 along one edge and arranged to be clamped together by a thumb-screw b4. The clamp b2 is pivoted at its rear side by a pivot b5, journaled in the free upper end of an arm or bracket b, the latter having at its lower end a clamp 57, by means of which the attachment may be secured to the rod A or to any other rod or pole or convenient support.

Preferably the slide b2 and the adjacent face of the arm o6 have means for holding them in desired adjustment, said means being herein shown in the form of sockets or recesses bs in the back side of the slide and a locking-pin b9, held forward by a spring bm, carried in the bracket of.

The clamp b7 is made to embrace the rod or other support A on three sides and has a thumb-screw o, workin-g through one side thereof and having at its inner end a head or washer Z212 to bear against the support to which it may be clamped.

The arm or bracket h6 is made sufficiently long to accommodate the device to the various forms and styles of targets a2 which are `found in different kinds of leveling-rods, in

order that the zero-mark of the ruler B may be brought into alinement with the intersection of the lines of the target a2, said intersection being shown in Fig. 1 as in alinement with the set-screw b4, the target b being also shown as cut away at 513, in order that the line bm of the target b may also be brought into proper alinement.

The slide b2 has a zero-mark, herein shown as at 615.

The ruler or auxiliary rod B preferably has graduations on the front side thereof in inches, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2, and on the reverse side thereof in tenths and hundredths of feet, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, for a purpose presently to be described.

It will be understood that the various relations of the parts and the parts themselves may be considerably varied Within the spirit and scope of my invention, as will appear more fully from the following description of the various purposes of the different parts and the manner of their use.

It being supposed that the surveyor is about to run alevel by the aid of myimprovement in connection with a usual surveyors rod, he will iirst clamp the device to the rod A,as shown in Fig. l,by setting up the thumbscrew b until the parts are in rigid position. It is not essential that my attachment should be fixed on the rod A so as to bring the Zeromark Z915 of the slide in alinement with the target a2, although that Will be preferable, doubtless,with most surveyors,but it is merely essential that the attachment should be adjusted so as to bring its zero-mark in accord with the datum-line. The attachment having thus been adjusted, the rodman now simply slides the rod B up until the transitman sights the target b, whereupon the corresponding reading on the rod B will indicate in inches the exact distance from the datumline, or it' the reading is below the datum-line instead of above the rod B is simply rotated on its pivot b5 and then slid downward in the slot b2. So, likewise, if it is desired to take an offset measurement the rod B is turned into a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and the readings are taken as before. It will thus be seen that the surveyor is relieved entirely of all the tedious figuring heretofore necessary,inasm uch as the various readings noted down by the rodman constitute the measurements themselves.

I Wish it understood that my invention is not restricted in its use to the particulars above mentioned, but that it has a wide range of usefulness. For instance, it may be used itself as the surveyors leveling-rod sim ply by being attached to any rod or poleconvenient to support it, the readings in such case being preferably taken from the reverse side of the ruler B, inasmuch as it is customary and preferable to have the readings of the regular leveling-rod in decimals. Various other uses will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a leveling-rod, of a graduated ruler movable longitudinally relative to said rod and provided with means for automatically determining the measurements from the datum-line, and a connection between said rod and graduated ruler, provided with a zero-mark and adjustable to bring said mark into accord with the datum-line, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securing means, and a slide carried thereby, in combination With a rod or a ruler reciprocable in said slide, and carrying a target at its outer end, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securing means, and a slide pivoted thereon, in combination with a graduated rod or a ruler reciprocable in said slide, and provided With a target at the end having the low denominations, substantially as described.

fi. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securing means, and a slide pivotcd thereon, and means for locking said slide in adj usted position on said supportingbracket, and a rod or ruler for said slide, substantially as described.

5. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securing means, and a slide carried thereby, in combination With a rod or a ruler reciprocable in said slide, said rod or ruler having at one end thereof a target, and graduations beginning with 0 at said target end, substantially as described.

G. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securing means, and a slide carried thereby, in combination with a rod or a ruler reciprocable in said slide, said rod or ruler having at one end thereof a target, and graduations in denominations of inches beginning with 0 at said target end, substantially as described.

7. The herein-described attachment for use in leveling, comprising a bracket or support provided with securingv means, and a slide carried thereby, in combination With a rod or a ruler reciprocable in said slide, said rod or ruler having at one end thereof a target, and graduations in denominations of inches beginning with O at said target end on one side, and graduations on the opposite side in surveyors measure, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER G. CLASSON.

Vitnesses:

ALBERT B. lIAsKELL, WILLIAM K. BAILEY.

IOO

IIO 

